CHAPTER ONE:
STOLEN IN THE NIGHT
IN A BIG CASTLE, a little boy stood beside a baby crib, staring down at it with a soft, gentle smile, a baby toy in his small hands. The room was decorated in floral, many little baby dresses all colorful laid in a beautiful, giant closet.
"Once upon a time, there was a girl called Y/n."
Removing the toy away from his view, a baby girl was revealed with vibrant e/c eyes, staring back at her older brother with a bright, toothless smile. The two siblings smiled at each other before she let out a giggle.
Feet away from the siblings, stood their father, the king. He was watching his son interact with his daughter and his baby sister. He loved how she was only a few weeks old, and they already had such a great relationship.
"And she saw the world not always as it was, but as perhaps it could be, with just a little bit of magic."
Above her crib, little paper butterflies hung above her, all in different, vibrant colors. Just like her e/c orbs. The baby girl held her hand out towards them, near her older brothers direction, a little paper-made f/c butterfly between her tiny, soft fingers, similiar to the f/c butterfly that hung right in front of her gaze.
The king walked over to his children, chuckling softly at his youngest before picking her up, the three of them going outside on the balcony, looking over at the kingdom in front of them. The king kissed his daughters head, his other hand laying on his sons shoulder.
"To her father and brother, she was a princess."
As they stared out in the distance, a butterfly flew by the small family of three. It immediately caught the h/c attention. As it flew by them, the son and father talked to each other, her small, vibrant e/c eyes still on the fascinating flying insect.
🐭
"Not just because she had a title, and not just because she was treated like one. Nor had the perfect life, but she was the ruler of her own kingdom, which happened to be just a small little room where she slept in."
Y/n, still a baby, sat on a soft, fluffy carpet, her brother by her side. The two played with a little tea set of hers, which the baby would throw around, always making her brother laugh at her actions.
"With her older brother and father."
🐭
The king stood in the floral room of Y/n's, the said baby girl in his arms, softly rocking her to sleep before gently tucking her in her crib, placing a soft kiss on her head before heading to bed himself.
"Her life was like any other child wished to have. It was perfect. Until one night..."
Later that night, the whole castle asleep, except for the guards. Y/n slept peacefully in her crib, not hearing her balcony doors open, which the king always made sure to lock before she was in bed.
"...a stranger came."
The shadow figure silently crept through her door, taking small and slow steps to her crib to keep quiet. Once they made it to her crib, they slowly brought their hands out to her, lifting her up, which startled her awake, crying out loud.
The had instantly caught the king and the prince's attention. Both sat straight up in their beds, meeting in the hallway where many guards already stood there, ready for anything about to happen.
"It all happened so fast... the king didn't know what to expect."
The king speeded through the hallways, then finally making it to his daughters door.
"He already lost his wife. He didn't want to lose his daughter, nor his son."
He was quick to break through the door. The crying had already stopped, which made him slightly relieved, but it faded away when he saw the empty room in front of him, the balcony door left open.
Along with an empty crib.
🐭
"It was that night of many, many nights... the search for the princess started. They knew she wasn't dead. That was for sure."
The king, now older, and the prince, now a teenager still grieved for their daughter and baby sister. When he got older, the prince went out more in search of his sister. After many years, he didn't find anything.
Currently, the two royalty sat on her balcony, on her birthday. Every year, they would put out lights. Colorful lights. Just like the colorful butterflies that still hung above her crib. Sometimes, the king would host a ball in his daughters honor.
The prince placed his hand on his fathers shoulder. "We'll find her father. I will find her. I promise."
The king shook his head. "Don't promise anything, son. You can't make a promise you might not be able to keep." And with that, the king walked away, shaking his head in guilt and grief. The prince watched his fathers retreating figure.
He was gonna find his baby sister, and bring her back. And he was gonna make sure of it.
🐭
"Far, far away from the castle, a little girl sat in a house, wearing rags for dresses."
The little girl sat on her window sill, staring out at her open window. Today was her birthday. And like every other year, the family she was with, never celebrated with her. But she did have one thing she always loved about her birthday.
The lights.
Every year at the castle, very vibrant and colorful lights went on, on her birthday. She enjoyed them. They made her feel like she had a family. The family she lived with... she wasn't apart of them. They didn't treat her like their own. They only took her in to do their chores around the house, so they wouldn't have to.
They were cruel.
Especially the girls.
Drizella and Anastasia.
The two girls were siblings, who lived with their mother and father.
But as the years she grew up with them, she learned to make it into her own little kingdom. Like she was a princess.
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"As the Tremaine's treated Y/n horribly, one certain woman made the girl feel like family. Emile Richard."
Y/n stood with Emile, the two working on the Tremaine's chores. Them, along with some other maids worked for the Tremaine's, who were always cruel to them.
As they stood outside, doing the laundry, they talked to each other dearly about many things. As they talked, a small butterfly slowly flew by, catching Y/n's attention. Keeping her eyes on the beautiful insect, she stood up, gently holding out her hand, the butterfly flying to her hand.
"Hello, there. Well aren't you such a beautiful thing." Emile watched the girl interact with the butterfly with a smile. It flew away, leaving the girl to smile at it's distant figure.
As Y/n was about to go back to work, a little squeak rang through her ears. Glancing down at her feet, she was met with a small mouse, looking up at her innocently.
"Well, look at you!" She crouched down, cupping her hands, the mouse hopping onto her soft palms. "What are you doing here? Did you separate from your family?"
"You still believe they understand you?" Emile spoke up, looking up at the girl with a smile.
"Well, don't they?" Y/n glanced at the woman curiously.
"Why of course. I believe all animals speak to us and listen to us if we only had the ear for it." Both girls were smiling as Y/n took Emile's words in. "And that's how we learn to look after them. And fairy godmothers look after us."
"Fairy godmothers?"
"Yes, of course."
"Do you believe in them?"
"I believe in everything."
"Then, me too." She smiled at the woman, the innocent little mouse still in her little hands while Emile chuckled at her.
"Get back to work!" Lady Tremaine shouted from the house inside just as her daughters, Drizella and Anastasia ran through all their hard work, laughing at the girls expressions.
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"Emile lately went away to travel. She loved it. She always promised little Y/n to take her with her when she was older."
Emile walked through the Tremaine's yard, a basket of laundry at her hip. She had just gotten back from traveling, and the only person who didn't know, was Y/n.
"Y/n missed her terribly when she was away."
The e/c eyed girl stood in her room, glancing out her window like she did every morning, her gaze stopping on a familiar figure. Gasping in excitement and happiness, she quickly opened her window.
"Emile!" The said woman looked up with a smile, recognizing the voice instantly. Without hesitation, the girl ran out of her room, passing Sir Francis Tremaine on the way.
"Watch where you're going!" He shouted at her running figure.
Making it downstairs, Y/n pushed past Drizella and Anastasia on her way, making the two girls stare at her in confusion.
"There she is!" Emile dropped her basket once she saw the girl running towards her, opening her arms out.
"Welcome home!" Y/n was quick to jump into the woman's arms, holding on tight, arms clasping behind her neck.
"You've grown so much!" Emile smiled. She placed her down before bringing out a small box.
Y/n noticed easily. "What's that?"
Emile slowly brought it out more with a smile. "Well, my dear. This is for you." Gasping quietly, Y/n took it from her hands gently. "It's a late birthday gift. I'm sorry I wasn't here for that. I hope you can forgive me."
"Of course I forgive you." She giggled.
"You know," Emile kneeled down in front of her. "I think there might be something inside."
With a smile, the h/c opened up the box, a f/c paper butterfly popping out. She gasped happily, staring at it. "It's so beautiful."
Emile tucked a piece of hair behind the girls ear, happy she was happy about the gift. "It's un papillon in French."
"Un papillon." She repeated.
The woman then stood up, holding her hand out for the girl. With a giggle, Y/n took her hand, Emile placing her little feet on her bigger ones.
"Shall we?"
The girl answered with a smile before the two were dancing around the yards, bright and happy smiles on their faces.
"I'm dancing, Emile! I'm dancing!"
"Stop with this nonsense and get back to work!" Lady Tremaine yelled, standing beside her husband, both staring at the two with scowls.
"Now!" He added.
Quickly, Emile picked up the basket, the two walking out of their sight, sharing a laugh when they were far enough away. Y/n looked back at her un papillon, staring at it with a bright smile.
"Little papillon."
🐭
"All was just as it should be. The two knew themselves as the happiest pair they could try to be. All they had was each other."
"When I am king
dilly, dilly
You shall be queen
dilly, dilly
Lavender's green
dilly, dilly
Lavender's blue
dilly, dilly"
Y/n sat on her window sill later that night, staring at the stars above her as she sang softly. It was a song that Emile had always sang to her when they were usually together.
"For I love you"
And with that, she stood up, silently walking to her bed, hopping in and falling into a deep sleep.
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"But sorrow can some to any kingdom, not matter how happy."
Y/n stood in front of Emile, who was kneeling in front of her. It had been a few weeks since she came back, and she was leaving again. The girl was upset, but knew she'd see the woman again.
She always did.
"Y/n, love." Emile gently grabbed the girls hand. She wasn't sure if she'd see Y/n again. Where she was going, it was a dangerous travel. "I want to tell you a secret. A great secret that will see you through all the trials that life can offer. You must always remember this. Have courage and be kind. You have more kindness in your little finger than most people posses in their whole body. And it has power, more than you know. And magic."
"Magic?" Y/n looked at the woman curiously.
"Truly. Have courage and be kind, my love. Will you promise me?" Emile's brown eyes stared into the girls e/c ones.
Y/n nodded, not breaking it. "I promise."
"Good." She didn't say anything else, but pulled Y/n into her, the two hugging each other tightly. Y/n knew how dangerous this travel was. But Emile always came back to her. And she would again.
Right?
"And so it came to Y/n's home."
🐭
Y/n stood in front of a grave, wearing an all black dress, the nicest she could at least wear. She couldn't believe it. Emile... She didn't make it back. Tears laid on the girls rosy cheeks, a frown adding to it.
Slowly, she walked towards Emile's grave, shakily placing the woman's favorite flowers on top, then softly caressing the stone before reluctantly walking away.
🐭
"Time passed, and pain turned into memory."
Y/n, now much older, stood outside, doing chores like she always did, Anastasia and Drizella occasionally passing by her, making comments and snickering to themselves, like they were proud of it.
🐭
"In her heart, Y/n stayed the same. For she remembered her promise to Emile."
Y/n sat on her window sill, a book in hand, silently reading it before a familiar voice shouted up to her.
"Y/n! Come and make dinner!"
"Have courage, and be kind."
🐭
Y/n stood in the barn where they horses were, her soft voice reading the story of her book out loud, pretending like the horses were listening to her.
"Y/n spent most of her time with the animals. All of them listening to her speak so dearly of her stories."
"'And thence home, and my wife and I singing, to our great content,'" Y/n continued reading to the horses, a delightful smile plastered on her face. "'and if ever there were a man happier in his fortunes, I know him not.'" She shut the book with a dreamy sigh. "Thus ends Mr. Pepys for today. I do love a happy ending, don't you?"
Of course, she knew they wouldn't actually speak words to her, but she always got neighs in response, which made her happy. The Tremaine's and Y/n were leaving in a few days. After Sir Francis Tremaine passed, they were now going to live with a nice little family of a father and son that Lady Tremaine was to marry the father.
🐭
Y/n sat in a carriage with the Tremaine's, Drizella and Anastasia sharing loud words, keeping the silence away as they drove in the family's driveway. Two men, one younger than the other, stood at their front porch.
"Have courage, be kind." Y/n murmured to herself as they came to a stop.
"Welcome, ladies. Welcome!" The older man walked down the steps with a smile on his face.
"He's skinny as a broomstick!" Drizella commented to her sister, referring to the blonde boy about their age still standing on the porch.
"And that stringy hair!" Anastasia added, the two snickering back and forth.
As the blonde boy walked down the steps and towards them, Anastasia and Drizella exited the carriage, both staring at him.
"You're very nice." Drizella told him.
"Welcome. I'm so happy to meet you." The blonde greeted the sisters politely.
"You're hair is really nice." Anastasia complemented the boy, her and Drizella trying to hide their smirks.
"Thank you." He smiled at them. "Would you like a tour of the house?"
"What did he say?" Drizella asked her sister.
"He wants to show us around his farmhouse. He's proud of it, I think." The red head murmured back to her older sister.
"Do they keep animals inside?" The blonde boy shook his head no to Drizella's question.
It was then that Y/n exited out of the carriage with the older mans help, giving him a thankful smile. The boy's eyes instantly snapped to her.
"And that was when she saw him..."
Y/n met the boys beautiful blue eyes. He was memorized by her. Y/n smiled softly at the boy. "Hello."
"...Elliot."
The blonde, blue eyed boy didn't greet back as he was still memorized by her beauty. Y/n was the same. Drizella and Anastasia noticed this and made comments to each other, snickering, not so silently.
Breaking their eye contact was a cat hissing loudly. Y/n looked down, the boy following her gaze, seeing Lady Tremaine's cat, Lucifer on the ground, a leash wrapped on him. The holder of the leash walked out of the carriage, revealing Lady Tremaine herself.
"How charming. How perfectly charming." She walked past all of them, bringing Lucifer along with her. "Lucifer."
"Lady Tremaine was a woman of keen feeling and refined taste. And she, too, had known grief. But she wore it wonderfully well."
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I know Y/n's backstory, or the narrator talking and all that was basically the exact same as Elliot's, the orignal one from the Cinderella movie, but I wanted it like that. The two are kind of like, similar. Something like that. And yes, Emile is a character I made.